Jennings J-22 Info

Jennings J-22 Semi-Automatic .22 Caliber Pistol.

A while back I did a post on the Jennings J-22 pistol. That post still gets visitors, and a great comment about the J-22 was left by "FergusonTO35". Since the comment is unlikely to be found without specifically looking for it, I decided to post his comment verbatim in a post of its own.

Jennings enthusiasts, here you go:

Hey guys, I own 3 Jennings J-22's and 2 Jimenez JA-22's. Jimenez Arms is the current version of Bryco/Jennings, they are based in Las Vegas, NV. Being a J-22 fan, I can usually make one of these pistols as dependable as another .22 autoloader.

My first suggestion is to first put at least 250 rounds through the gun before making any judgments about it. These guns really do need a break in period before they give the best dependability and accuracy. As far as ammo goes, any common high velocity round nose ammo will work. Federal Champion #510 (available cheap at Wal-Mart) is the best I've found. CCI Mini Mag is great too, but costs more. Rounds that have long or very flat nose bullets generally do not feed in these guns.

After your pistol has fired a couple of hundred rounds it should be well broken in. If you are experiencing weak ejection or stovepipes (empty shell stays in the slide) examine the length of the firing pin nose which strikes the cartridge. Approximately 3.0-3.1 mm is right for most of these. Many of them come from the factory with a pin that is too long. This causes the empty shell to eject too early, causing a jam.

The feed lips of the magazine are another area which requires attention. My experience is that these mags function best when the spacing between the mag lips is .200-.205 inch. Too close together and the lips pinch the slide, impairing function. Too wide and the round will hit the top of the chamber mouth and jam instead of going into the chamber. The lips are supposed to aim the round right into the chamber, so with this in mind you can adjust accordingly.

These pistols are way more accurate than most people give them credit for. The key is to find its favorite ammo and to practice good trigger control. Remington Thunderbolt is hands down the most accurate in all my J-22/JA-22 pistols, I can shoot golf ball size groups at 10 yards all day. From the factory, these pistols have very stiff triggers and there's not a whole lot you can do to change it without creating potential safety problems. DO NOT under any circumstances modify the sear or sear spring in these guns. The good news is that the trigger pull tends to improve a great deal the more the gun is fired.

If you need help with your J-22 or any other Saturday Night Special type firearm, please visit us at www.bryco-jennings-jimenezarms.com and go to the chat forum.

Thanks, FergusonTO35, for all the info!